.gif)
Carl Long (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in Negro league
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
and minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
who, along with Frank Washington
Frank Washington
Frank Washington is a former outfielder in minor league baseball who, along with Carl Long, broke the color barrier in the Carolina League city of Kinston, North Carolina. Washington made his debut for the Kinston Eagles on April 17, 1956. During the year, he batted .254 with 9 home runs and 40...
, broke the color barrier in the Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
city of Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston, North Carolina
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...
. Long made his debut for the Kinston Eagles on April 17, 1956. During the year, he hit .291 with 18 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 111 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. The Carolina League itself had been integrated in 1951 by Percy Miller Jr.
Percy Miller Jr.
Percy Miller, Jr. is a former minor league baseball player who broke the color barrier in the Carolina League. The son of Negro league pitcher Percy Miller, he made his debut for the Danville Leafs in August 1951, and played in 19 games that season. Bill White, who would be the second black player...
of the Danville Leafs
Danville Leafs
The Danville Leafs were a professional minor league baseball team that played in the city of Danville, Virginia.Professional baseball first made its appearance in Danville in 1905 when the town fielded a team, the Tobacconists, in the short-lived Virginia-North Carolina League...
. The 111 RBI tallied by Long in 1956 has been equaled but never surpassed by any subsequent Kinston players.
Long's professional debut came with the Birmingham Black Barons
Birmingham Black Barons
The Birmingham Black Barons played professional baseball for Birmingham, Alabama, in the Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1960 when the Major Leagues successfully integrated...
of the Negro American League
Negro American League
The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues which were created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and continued to exist until 1960...
in 1952. He stayed with Birmingham through the 1953 season. In 1954, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and was sent to their minor league team, the St. Jean Canadians of the Provincial League
Provincial League
Provincial League also known as Pro League is the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999-2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailand and Ministry of Tourism and Sports...
. During 1955, Long played for the Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer League and also saw some action for Phoenix in the Arizona-Mexico League
Arizona-Texas League
The Arizona-Texas League was a low-level circuit in American minor league baseball that existed from 1928-32, 1937-41, 1947-50 and 1952-54. The Arizona-Texas loop merged with the Sunset League to form the Southwest International League in 1951...
. After playing for the Eagles in 1956, Long played for the Beaumont Pirates of the Big State League and Mexico City in 1957. A shoulder injury curtailed his career, and he left baseball to live in Kinston.
Long continued to break barriers after his baseball career was over. He became Kinston's first black bus driver as well as Lenoir County
Lenoir County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of 2005, there were 57,961 people, 23,862 households, and 16,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 149.2 people per square mile . There were 27,940 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
's first black Deputy Sheriff and black detective within the sheriff's department.
Long often attends games at Grainger Stadium
Grainger Stadium
Grainger Stadium is a sports venue located in Kinston, North Carolina. The Kinston Indians of the Carolina League, and all the professional Kinston baseball teams since 1949, played their home games there.-History and naming:...
to watch Kinston's current team, the Kinston Indians
Kinston Indians
The Kinston Indians were a minor league baseball team of the Carolina League , and the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina, and were named for their parent club...
. He has been honored by the Indians with "Carl Long Day" games, and in 2003 he was inducted into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. He has traveled extensively to promote the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 in Kansas City, Missouri.-History:The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 by a group of former Negro Leagues baseball players, including Kansas City Monarchs outfielder, Alfred Surratt, Buck O'Neil, and Horace Peterson...
.